Sturgill Simpson will make his long-awaited live return to the UK and Europe next year, under his new name Johnny Blue Skies. The tour, Simpson’s first since 2020 includes London’s Eventim Apollo on 1st March before heading into Europe for an 11 date run concluding, appropriately, in Paris at the Trianon on 22nd March. Tickets go on general sale Friday 27th September at 10am local time and will be available here. Presale starts at 10am local time on Wednesday 25th September. Fans can register to buy tickets here.

The tour announcement follows the release of Passage Du Desir, released in July this year to universal acclaim. Released on Simpson’s own independent label, High Top Mountain Records, and on Because Music in France, the album is made up of eight songs produced by Johnny Blue Skies and David Ferguson and recorded at Clement House Recording Studio in Nashville, TN and Abbey Road Studios in London, England.

Since the release of Passage Du Desir, Simpson and his band – Kevin Black (bass), Robbie Crowell (keys), Laur Joamets (guitar) and Miles Miller (drums) – have been on the road across the US, including headline slots at Outside Lands and Austin City Limits Music Festival.

Since his debut, Simpson has released six full-length studio albums—2013’s High Top Mountain, 2014’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, 2016’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, 2019’s Sound & Fury, 2021’s The Ballad of Dood and Juanita and this year’s Passage Du Desir —along with the 2020 projects, Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Throughout his singular career, Simpson has relentlessly pushed against expectations, earning widespread acclaim and countless accolades including a Grammy Award in 2017 for Best Country Album and six Grammy nominations across four genres: country, rock, bluegrass and americana.

In addition to his work as a musician, Simpson has acted in film and television, including roles in The Dead Don’t Die, Queen & Slim, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Righteous Gemstones.